The Return of Evil
by Saddened Soul
Summary: Cloud thought everything would be fine once Sephiroth was beaten, but, as always, an even GREATER threat arises, and after disabling everyone except for Vincent and Cloud, it begins its plans... but what are they?
1. Chapter One

(To think I got this idea while doing homework, huh?)

The Return of Evil:

Chapter One

Cloud Strife groaned and rolled over on his side. Dim rays of early morning sunlight penetrated the window and slightly illuminated the small inn room. He flinched and opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust his sight.

Cloud, however, suddenly realized there was something warm next to his body. He raised his head a little, his eyes finding a sleeping Tifa Lockhart lying peacefully beside him. She seemed to have fallen asleep in her clothes, but her boots and gloves(Are they gauntlets..?) had been discarded to the floor.

"I swear she was not there when I went to sleep," he thought while watching her. "I'm sure I didn't get drunk, and I doubt she did either… but did we… do…?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, no way! We couldn't have… could we…" he mumbled before starting to inch off of the bed, trying not to awaken his friend. After grabbing his pants and slipping them on, buckling his belt, and placing his shirt on, he made his way out of the room and across the hall to the bathroom.

"I already took a shower last night, so I should be okay," he thought aloud before wetting his hair and taking a plastic tube from his pocket. After flipping the top of the tube up and squeezing out a miniscule amount of the gel, he began to spread through his wet hair, carefully forming his trademark hairdo.

Once a few minutes had passed, Cloud heard the door open slowly, and he glanced to the side to see Tifa enter.

"Oh, hey Tifa; can I, um, ask you a question?"

"Shoot…" she stated sheepishly while approaching him, embracing him tightly and digging her head into his chest.

Cloud was a tad disturbed by this gesture, and a bead of sweat fell from his brow. "Yeah, well, when I woke up I saw that you were sleeping next to me, and you, uh, looked quite happy…"

She nodded. "Yes… Is it a problem, my love?" she cooed softly in his ear before starting to slowly bite and suck on his earlobe, as well as rub her groin area over his crotch.

"Uh, Tifa, really… This isn't the time, or the place…"

"It's only a bathroom Cloud, besides, don't you want me…?"

He thought for a moment before swallowing hard. "Well, um, you seem really comfortable about this… Have we… done this before?" he asked nervously, chuckling.

"No…"

"Ah, good, good, so I'm still a virgin," he confirmed, relieved. Tifa had begun sucking on his neck, and it disturbed him greatly. "Dammit! If she keeps this up I'll start getting a…" he thought before noticing her left leg wrap around his right

"Shit! Sorry, Tifa!" he exclaimed before pushing her off and running out of the room, locking it on his way out. He slammed it shut and leaned against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor.

"That was close, _really_ close; thank goodness for my strong will power! Now, boots, Buster Sword; must get."

Cloud stood and darted into his room, putting on his boots and sheathing his- Zack's- Buster Sword before attempting to fix the bed, but he was stopped abruptly when a loud scream occurred outside.

"Isn't this place called, Kalm, for a reason?" he asked himself as a blue Materia crashed through his window. "What _is_ going on this morning?"

Anyway, Cloud exited the inn and looked around; everything seemed normal, except for the fact that Yuffie was foaming at the mouth and running around wildly. It seemed to be early, so Cloud carefully approached her. "Yuffie?"

She stopped and turned to him, her eyes burning evilly. "Y-Yuffie…?"  
She just fell to the ground in a fetal position, rocking back and forth. "My Materia… My Materia… My Materia… My Materia…"

Cloud watched her for a few moments before his stomach rumbled. "Maybe I should've eaten one of those cookies that Tonberry brought last night…" He sighed and made his way to the nearest restaurant, taking a seat at a booth. There were two other people inside, eating.

He leaned back and closed his eyes as he heard someone take a seat across from him.

"Cloud, I'm glad I found you," Vincent stated quietly as his blonde comrade opened his eyes. "Have you noticed something strange is going on, Vincent?"

"Yes, which is why I had to speak with you."

"Oh, good, because Yuffie seems to have lost her sanity and Tifa was _overly _happy this morning; I found her sleeping next to me and then she tried to seduce me in the bathroom."

"Tifa? Seduce you? That means the situation is graver than I first thought."

"Yeah, I mean, just because we defeated Sephiroth doesn't give her the right to celebrate by seducing me… and whatever comes after that… But wait, what are you talking about?"

* * *

Sephiroth's senses raged strongly when he awoke. The sound of dripping water, the stench of mold, and the cool touch of metal and plastic bombarded him as his eyes opened, examining the chamber he was in. 

"Ah, so I see you've awoken…" a female voice spoke as a light bulb faded on, casting a dim array of light onto the center of the room.

"Where am I? Didn't… I… ah, my head…"

"Don't worry, Sephiroth, your memory will return steadily, very steadily…"

"Show yourself!" he shouted, before a person walked into the light, her emerald eyes staring straight into his. "Y-You? I thought I-," but he was cut short when he was suddenly shocked. A large, peculiar, mechanical device was fastened around his neck; it seemed to be the source of the electricity.

"Okay, and-,"

"Stop questioning me you fool!"

He was shocked again as the woman laughed. "You see, Sephiroth, your life is like an egg in my palm; if I clench my fist, I can end it."

"That was, uh, a peculiar analogy…"

"Yes, now if you value your life you will not question me again, for once I gain my ultimate revenge against AVALANCHE and the planet, I'll drop you back into the Lifestream."

"That made no sense whatsoever."

"Silence! Now, I'll let you rest as I prepare for phase two of my domination."

"Just curious, but how many phases are there?"

Unfortunately, the woman had already disappeared.

(Sucks, doesn't it?)


	2. Chapter Two

The Return of Evil:

Chapter Two

Cid took another sip from his beer as Barret grasped his bottle. "Well, old chap, funny how everything is over, with?" he spoke in a peculiar English accent.

Barret nodded. "Very, very strange, I must say. Another bewildering thing is how there is a bar in Kalm."

"Yet wasn't there?"

"No, no, I doubt there was…"

"What chu' foo's talkin' 'bout?" Red XIII barked as he jumped on the bar counter clutching a beer bottle in his mouth.

"Please, Nanaki, step down; people are trying to enjoy a nice drink."

"In the mornin', yeah right!" he answered before laying down. Suddenly, though, the sound of boots against the floor could be heard.

"Well, well, well, I see you guys have been having fun," Tifa stated seductively while placing her palm on the counter and leaning forwards, smiling; her expression was somewhere between deceitful and lustful.

"Uh… Hello, Tifa, I must say you look exceptionally stunning today," Cid commented, nervously, a bead of sweat falling down his right temple. Barret nodded, chuckling in the same manner as she sat atop the counter, crossing her legs. She began to pet and scratch Red XIII's chin, gaining a purr, as Cid regained his composure.

"So, Tifa, is there something you need?"

"Actually, yes, there is… Have you boys, by chance, seen Cloud around?"

Red XIII continued purring as Barret shook his head. "Cloud? Well, no, we have not seen our companion; why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason in particular; just wondering where he was…" Tifa stood up and walked over to the door. She looked back at them and smiled, winking before opening the door and departing.

"Tifa seemed… unlike her usual self… don't you think?" asked Barret as Cid nodded. "She seemed… a tad sadistic towards us, and most definitely _very_ sexy. Her tone, the way she moved, extremely different."

Red XIII purred once more. "I likey…"

* * *

"Idiots," Tifa muttered harshly while scanning the area. She noticed Yuffie still rolling and foaming at the mouth. She sighed and looked towards the diner. "You can't hide, Cloud… I'll find you…"

Cloud grinned gleefully as the waitress placed his moogle head shaped pancake. "Thank you!" he exclaimed before quickly beginning to cut a small portion of the pom- pom out. However, he froze and stopped once he noticed Vincent staring at him strangely.

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Okay!" Cloud then plopped the pancake piece into his mouth as Vincent cleared his throat. "Now, Cloud, have you noticed the actions of our comrades?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, like I said, Tifa was seducing me and Yuffie seemed like she had Rabies…"

Vincent nodded. "All right, well, while you are enjoying that, could you listen?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. Now, do you remember that Tonberry which entered the inn last night?"

"Oh yeah! He gave us all cookies… but I was the only one that didn't eat one… and you didn't, right?"

"Correct."

"Oh… Barret, Cid, and Red all ate two, but Tifa ate one… Now that I think about it, Yuffie had three…"

"How many were there in total?"

"About twenty, why?"

Vincent thought for a moment. "I believe, Cloud, that something peculiar within those cookies alters the personality, and, or, mentality of the person who eats them. From what you described of Yuffie, she ate three; the most compared to everyone else?"

"Yeah, I didn't see Cait Sith around, anyway…"

"Then that explains why she is acting the way she is. Have you seen or met with Barret, Cid, or Nanaki?"

"No…"

"We have to find them, then. The way you spoke about Tifa… if the three of them ate two, they might be in a worse condition…"

Cloud watched as Vincent stood up and stared out the window. He glanced down at his pancakes and noticed he had devoured over 80 of them.

"Huh… didn't even notice…"

He began to stand as Vincent folded his arms. "I see Tifa is out…" Cloud made a peculiar noise and darted behind him. "Where!" he demanded fearfully while looking out the window. "Oh… Where's she going?"

"I cannot be sure…"

Cloud sat back down. "Yeah, well… We can't let her find me, really… I'm not exactly sure what her intentions are."

Vincent nodded. "For now, though, we must locate that Tonberry; someone is planning something."

* * *

Sephiroth sat on the cool, concrete floor, pondering about his situation. "Very strange… I was murdered only a short while ago, but… I thought she was…? No, I don't have time; have to think of a way out of this place. Mother and I will not be denied!"

He stood up and began pacing around the small chamber. While the room may have been huge, he was trapped in an invisible cell in the center; the walls were a barrier of some sort, discharging a tiny amount of Make energy when touched.

He stroked his chin and thought carefully of the situation. "Thought of every thing, yeah… Wait, that's it! Oh yes, you're smart Cetra, but I am most defiantly smarter!"

(The story's starting to shape up, I'll say.)


	3. Chapter Three

The Return of Evil:

Chapter Three

Cloud tapped Vincent on the left shoulder as they continued down the trail of dirt and pebbles. "Hey, where exactly are we going? I'm getting kind of bored…"

Vincent stopped and turned to face his companion. "Cloud, are you entirely sure you are feeling all right?"

"I'm pretty sure…"

"You have been acting… different… Did you consume one of those cookies?"

"I didn't! I just remember smelling them and saying they smelled good!"

"You smelt them?"

"That's what I just said!"

Vincent did not respond and thought for a moment before turning back. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't think it was that important…"

Vincent sighed and continued walking. "We're following the Tonberry; they're extremely slow, so we should be able to track it down…"

"How do you know it went into the forest?" Cloud inquired while catching up to his comrade. "I can smell it…"

"…That's… interesting…" the blonde responded. "I'm curious though… Why would a Tonberry even give us cookies? It doesn't sound very normal to me…"

Vincent nodded. "I believe something is controlling the Tonberry… Someone, or something, may have a grudge against us…"

Cloud shrugged. "Well, we won't know unless we find it, right?"

"Yes…"

Suddenly, the sky darkened; Cloud and Vincent looked up to see a bolt of lightning falling straight at them. "Move!"

They both jumped in opposite directions, avoiding the powerful Bolt spell as it crashed against the ground, causing a great explosion.

"Fools… were you looking for me…?"

As the smoke cleared, it revealed the form of a Tonberry standing on a tree branch.

"I didn't know Tonberries could talk!" Cloud exclaimed as he looked up at the small, green monster. "You're… correct… _normal_ Tonberries cannot speak…"

"Then what is it that separates you from normal Tonberries?" asked Vincent as he crouched upon the tree branch across from the Tonberry. "_This_… does…"

The monster's knife gained a bright blue aura as it flipped off the branch and slashed vertically in the air. A massive energy blade shot forward; Vincent jumped off as it obliterated the tree and continued rupturing the ground and surroundings for a few more miles after that.

Cloud watched in awe. "That's… not good…"

The Tonberry touched the ground a few yards away from its followers. "That is only a small amount of my power… Our empress has granted the strength of JENOVA cells to me and my colleagues…"

"JENOVA cells…?" Vincent readied his weapon. "Who is your "empress", and where did she acquire JENOVA cells?"

"Why, from our captive, Sephiroth, of course!"

"Sephiroth?" Cloud and Vincent said in unison. "Yes, now, fools, allow me to show you power beyond anything your feeble minds can comprehend!"

A massive golden aura surrounded the Tonberry as he began to grow. "That's not any better…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sephiroth sat patiently in his small prison, thinking. He had his plan ready, but he just had to wait for the right time…

He would wait for the moogle to bring him his lunch; from his dinner visit the night before, he noted the fact that the moogle carried a device which would trigger the mechanism around his neck.

So, Sephiroth would lure the cute creature towards him, strike him quickly before he could use the device, and then leave the cell through the entrance opened by the moogle.

It just so happened that the moogle entered the room at this time…

It walked over to the cell, pressing a small red button on its chrome remote. The invisible barrier liquefied apart, allowing the moogle to step inside. As it was about to set the tray of food down, however, Sephiroth knocked on the floor. It stopped.

"Hey, moogle, over here…" It seemed hesitant, but it walked over to the former SOLDIER commander. He waited for it to come close enough, before his hand shot out and slammed into the moogle, knocking it against the invisible wall; it fell to the floor, silent.

"Perfect…"

Sephiroth stood up and crushed the remote device with his foot before walking out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vincent rolled out of the way of another flame blast from the huge Tonberry. "Foolish mortals… Our Empress shall not be denied!" it yelled in a booming voice.

Cloud stepped out into the open, holding his Buster sword at the ready. "Who _is_ your empress anyway?" he questioned before charging the Tonberry.

"You won't need to know, as you'll be dead!"

The Tonberry blocked the slash with its knife and crashed its lantern into Cloud, the impact sending him sailing into a boulder.

"You are no match against me!"

"Oh yeah… We'll just see about that!" Cloud rose from the remains of the boulder and flexed out his hand. "Flare!"

The explosion damaged the Tonberry, causing it to stagger back. "Your pitiful attacks don't affect me!"

Cloud backed away, grounding his teeth. "Darn…"

However, as the Tonberry prepared to attack, it stopped. "E-Empress!"

Its body began to tremble. "Y-You never said he w-was needed alive!"

"Hey, Vincent, what's going on with him?" Cloud asked. "He seems to be speaking to his empress… but…"

"N-No, I do not… want to die!" the Tonberry yelled as its body suddenly exploded in a flash of navy fire.

Cloud and Vincent shielded their eyes from the light. The flash lasted only a split second and the two were able to allow their eyes to adjust.

"Whoever this "Empress" is, she doesn't seem to care much for her colleagues," Vincent commented. "I'll say… but what do you think he meant by that? About wanting 'him' alive?"

"He could've been referring to either one of us; perhaps someone else…"

The sky darkened, all of a sudden, and rain began to fall. Cloud held his palm out to out to feel the droplets of water. "Wasn't it… a clear, sunny day a second ago…?"

"Yes, look," Vincent stated, raising his golden claw and pointing at a massive, dark shape coming into view in the sky. "Great… now what?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tifa walked out of the town, grimacing at the rain. "You can run, Cloud, but I'll still find you…" she muttered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lone moogle pushed the grand, silver doors open and walked into the large, beautifully decorated chamber. Marble tiles reflected the moogle as it scurried across the floor towards the somewhat small oak desk.

Light, green paint covered the great walls, and dark green banners hung from the ceiling.

A huge chandelier swayed slightly in the air as the woman watched the lightning flash and the thunder boom from behind the great glass window taking the place of the wall behind the desk.

"My Empress, Sephiroth has escaped…"

"Is that so…?"

"Yes, My Empress, what are we to do?"

"Allow him to act freely… He isn't a threat now that our weapon is complete…"

"But, My Empress, what of Tonberry? These two rogues-,"

"They will be dealt with accordingly, but, for now, we must prepare for my announcement…"

"And for my final report, My Empress, it seems as though Tifa Lockhart did not react as we thought to the effects of the cookie…"

The Empress clenched her fists. "…No matter… but how did she react…?"

"From what we have concluded, the complete opposite of her former personality… She seems, however, to be obsessed with, as well as following, Cloud Strife…"

The Empress turned to her personal servant. "Nicholas, make sure that Miss Lockhart meets a swift end; I will not have her interfering…"

The moogle nodded somewhat and began to scurry away, its red pom-pom bobbing up and down.

The Empress's long brown ponytail waved as she turned back to the window. "Now is the time…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cid and Barret sat quietly at the bar, sipping their tea. "I daresay, this tea tastes much better than of the beer," remarked Barret as he flexed out his small finger while taking a sip.

Cid nodded in agreement while Red XIII lay drunk on the counter.

However, the television set nearby suddenly crackled. Everyone inside looked at it to see its current image fade away into static, and then slowly show the face of a young woman. Barret dropped his glass.

"It is… impossible…"

"Aeris…?" Cid thought aloud, bewildered.

Indeed, the face of Aeris Gainsborough was shown on the screen. Her emerald eyes seemed to stare into everyone. The image appeared on every television screen around the world, and four large holograms had appeared on all four side of the black shape in the sky.

"Hello, my peasants… What a nice day, is it not?"

The rain seemed to increase in ferocity as she said this.

"I speak to you all today, for a single reason… to announce myself as the sole leader of your feeble world… You shall all experience my great power!"

The image fades into a vertically moving shot which shows a great, black castle in the center of the dark clouds and lightning.

"This grand castle was created in the span of a single day… this display of might is only the tip of my power… the power of your own planet!" Aeris exclaimed as the screen then showed a cannon protruding out the base of the castle.

"Witness the power of your new master… the almighty Empress Aerith!"

Cid and Barret were speechless. "'Aerith'?" Barret asked.

"It seems so…" confirmed Cid. Red XIII remained unconscious.


	4. Chapter Four

**THE RETURN OF EVIL:**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"Vincent, look, I found a pretty little white dandelion!" Cloud exclaimed as he cupper the flower in his hands and started to roll around in the mud with it. It was raining horridly, and when lighting ripped through the dark sky Vincent's intimidating silhouette appeared to the blond before it vanished. "Vincent, Vincent, _woo-hoo_!" Cloud said as he got up and followed after his companion. He slipped the dandelion beside his giant spike and into his hair.

"Hey Vincent, do you really think that was Aeris?" he asked as the other headed for a small cave some yards ahead of them. Vincent was silent the rest of the way there and when they both hunkered down within the deep recesses of the cavern he sighed.

"…I don't see what goal Aeris is trying to achieve, but that is most definitely her. And if she somehow revived Sephiroth…" He crossed his arms and bowed his head in thought. Cloud hugged his knees and rocked on his haunches and cast Vincent a curious glance.

"Well, why would she try to kill _us_?"

"…We're obviously the only ones who can challenge her. She has already incapacitated the rest of our group, and while we are the only two remaining you were also affected in a small fashion. Your condition frightens me, Cloud."

The blond giggled. "I _know_!" he squealed, and Vincent shook his head sadly while the storm outside raged on.

"In any case, she already sent one of her servants after us; it could only be a matter of time before another comes. And the one she _did_ send after us she imploded…"

"Right! …Hey Vincent?"

"…What is it?"

"I'm hungry."

"Then go fetch something," Vincent responded, but then he seemed to reconsider and said, "No, wait, I should go with you. You're too much of a liability to allow going alone." They stood and departed into the forest to search for food for Cloud.

---

Meanwhile, Tifa was hot on their heels, trudging down the muddy path and scanning their footprints. Her legs and arms were caked in dirt and grass due to rolling around on the ground to find Cloud's scent. Her hair cascaded her face in giant, wet slops. She wrinkled her nose and proceeded forward, but something held her back. A twig had hooked itself on her shirt, but she plucked it off easily, and then examined her clothing.

"Oh, it seems I've gotten _all wet_ because of the rain…" she mused. "…All the better for Cloud then… _once I find him_." She cackled evilly but then her smile vanished suddenly. It returned a second later, albeit more sinister. "You can come out now."

Behind her lightning flashed and the silhouette of a cloaked figure was shown. It chuckled curtly. "Your perception is brilliant," the person stated throatily. "I was quite sure my presence had been masked perfectly."

"It was," Tifa replied as she turned to face her stalker. She tilted her head to the side and stared at him quizzically; half of her face was shrouded in darkness. "However… I hope you know who you're dealing with Mr. Assassin."

"Oh, I think I _do_," he said. "My client informed me that you were skilled, but that when confronting you I would have no idea what to expect. From what I can tell, however, you are nothing special. I have participated in nine-hundred-ninety-nine duels, and from each one I have walked away the victor. I have faced warriors whose have slaughtered armies and slain giants." The assassin spread out his arms and revealed two blades from beneath his cloak. "I sincerely hope you do not disappoint me as my one-thousandth opponent. When you are writhing on the ground in agony and breathe your final breath, I shall spare you a final goodbye."

"Is that _so_…?" Tifa bared her teeth in a horrifying grin. "I will give you one chance; kill me if you can."

The man gave a curt nod and removed his blades from his sides and took them into his hands. He dashed at her so fast he was only a blur in the light give off by the lightning, and Tifa did nothing to stop him as he stopped behind her, his weapons stained with crimson. He smirked underneath his hood. "Farewell." He crossed his steel weapons in an 'X'-fashion over his chest. The expected result was for Tifa to fall and die, but instead she began to laugh.

"That was a nice try. You _even_ managed to nick me, so I'll give you props for that, _but_… you had your chance, and now it's _mine_," she said coldly. The assassin glanced at his blades and saw that one of them was broken in two, and the other half was nowhere to be found.

"Impossible…" he muttered in disbelief. "How could you be so fast…? _This blade made contact_!" Tifa chortled and held up her hand. Grasped in it was the rest of his weapon. She turned around and raised it to her lips slowly before running her tongue over the steel briefly, but also sensually. The assassin staggered forward and saw a deep gash in his chest. He touched it gingerly with his fingers.

"It made contact alright…" She laughed and threw it to the side without a care. "Now then…" A bright, malevolent violet nimbus formed around that fist, and her pupils minimized to such a degree that the assassin backed away and fell on his bottom in sheer terror. He tried to scramble away but she stepped towards him with the most insane expression on her face. "_Where are you going_?" she asked madly while raising the fist. "Aren't you a proud, honorable warrior? You aren't trying to _run away_ are you?" She cackled once more and then…

---

Cloud was crouched down within a patch of muffins, and his arms were stuffed with them. He was busily munching on one, disregarding the rain and wind and thunder. "These are awesome, Vincent, you should have one!"

His pale comrade cast a glance at a rickety, old wooden sign that was going to fly off if the winds picked up. On it in red, faded letters was: **don't eat the muffins cuz there poisonus?**

It was hardly a reliable message, but better safe than sorry. Cloud got to his feet and offered one of the muffins to Vincent, waving it around in his face. "Come on, Vinnie, _you know you want to_! They're so good! Just one, please, I can't eat all of them by myself."

"Then don't," Vincent said when a fell wind blew by. His brow furrowed. "Cloud, do you feel that?"

The spiky-haired blond blinked. "Feel what?"

Out of nowhere a purple flash blinded them. "_METEOR STRIKE_!" someone cried shrilly from somewhere not too far off in the forest. Where the purple flash was the trees were blown apart in a fantastic explosion that leveled the entire quadrant of the forest. Luckily, Cloud and Vincent had trekked quite a good distance to find the muffin patch so their area was, for the most part, not damaged all that much.

A muffin fell from Cloud's arms. Vincent's expression was stony. "We should move on, and quickly."

"But… but…" Cloud whimpered frightfully. Vincent took his arm and ran off into the darkness.

---

"Empress, shouldn't we have displayed our citadel's power? Wasn't that the initial plan?" the moogle named Nicholas inquired as he idled beside his mistress's desk in the reception hall. Aeris was peering out the grand glass window that made up her the entire back wall of the hall. She frowned.

"Nicholas, when your inauguration to become the next ruler of the planet is nigh, do you destroy a good quarter of it? Of course not. What purpose would it serve?"

"I don't mean to be rude, Empress, but by displaying your awesome power the people would be awestruck and horrified. They would acknowledge your greatness!"

Aeris seemed to contemplate this, but shook her head. "No, Nicholas. The cannon is for silencing any rebellion. And besides, who can possibly stop me?"

---

Sephiroth poked his head out of the chamber tentatively and took a look around. He was at the far end of a gigantic room, and lining the walls was an enormous, emerald stairwell. Against the walls were dozens of doors and branching corridors, but what really amazed Sephiroth was the legions of moogles that were marching around. There must've been hundreds of them, and each group was performing a specific task.

"…What _are_ they?" Sephiroth murmured as he looked back at the unconscious one that was lying back in his cell. "I'll never find that damned Cetra if they spot me. There has to be a way to blend in somehow…" He peeked around and spotted a moogle entering a restroom nearby. Hanging off the door was a sign with an illustration of a moogle on it. Sephiroth noted there was only one. 'They must be intersexual or something…' he thought before making his way stealthily towards the restroom and slipping inside.

Fortunately, whatever moogles that were present were both in the stalls. He ran to the one at the end of the row and went inside when the other two left their respective stalls and began to clean up at the sinks.

"It's been a busy day, Jim, kupo," one of them said. The other one nodded while tapping his pom-pom.

"I just want to go home and _kupo_, you hear what I'm saying, kupo?"

"Definitely, kupo."

Sephiroth puked in his throat.

"Hey, what do you think Empress Aerith is going to do with the secret-weapon-we're-not-supposed-to-talk-about-because-it's-really-_really_-secret?"

"Gee, I don't know kupo. It's something dangerous, I think, kupo."

"Yeah, kupo."

Sephiroth steadily left the stall and approached them. "Secret weapon? What are you two talking about?" The moogles looked at him and shrugged.

"We don't know, kupo. Empress Aerith hardly says anything about, but supposedly it concerns that Siphon-y guy, kupo."

"Yeah, kupo."

There was a pause. "Hey, aren't you-," Sephiroth subdued them quickly with two chops of his hand. He looked the two of them over and sighed.

"Err, they're not exactly costumes…"

When Sephiroth stepped out of the restroom a pom-pom was taped to his head and one of the moogles was being held up in front of his face in an attempt to hide it. The rest of his body was perfectly visible, however. He received several looks from the moogles that passed by him, but that was all they were: looks. He waved at a few by moving the unconscious moogle's arm wildly and imitating their squeaky voices.

In fact, one of the ones that saw him hailed him and greeted, "'Ello there, Jim!" Sephiroth chuckled nervously.

"Hi, uh, Bob!"

"Ah, ther' ye go ag'n, Jim! It's Bonnie!"

"Oh, right! _Bonnie_!" He waved her—it?—off and kept on going for the enormous set of double-doors that were at the end of the hall. Miraculously, he reached it without receiving any other attention. He looked back at the hall, shrugged, and entered the next room. At the end of _this_ room he saw her.

"I've found you at last, Cetra!" Sephiroth exclaimed as he tore his makeshift disguise off and discarded it. Aeris spun around in her chair and her moogle servant, Nicholas, turned with her.

"Oh, it's just you Sephiroth. Did you like what you saw of my citadel? Impressive, is it not?"

The silver-haired warrior half-shrugged. "I find it to be something of an acquired taste. Anyway, we have some business to take care of."

"Empress-," Nicholas tried to say, but she shushed him.

"You speak true, but what business could a tool have with its user?"

"What was that?" Sephiroth snapped. "I don't like being use, Cetra, and if you want to live just a little longer you'd best quiet down, although I have to thank you for reviving me. I can use this castle to inflict the wound on the planet Meteor could not, and my plans can proceed!"

Aeris smugly laughed at this, and Sephiroth glared at her hatefully. She crossed her hands before her chin and propped her elbows on the desk. "You won't get that chance. I revived you for the sole purpose of your JENOVA cells and the fact that you are perhaps the most powerful warrior that exists. You are also a guinea pig for a certain project of mine…"

"What do you mean by that?" he snarled, and Aeris snapped her fingers. Moogles crowded into the room from out-of-nowhere and suddenly he was surrounded by an army of them. The Empress stood and removed from underneath the desk a rather long katana and then threw it to him. Sephiroth caught it swiftly and the sheath was off in an instant. He narrowed his eyes at the woman. "What are you doing?"

"This is just the preliminary test, _Sephie_. Show me you are worthy of being my test subject by defeating them all!" She sat back down and Nicholas retreated to her side. Sephiroth chuckled and reasserted his grip on the Masamune.

"A test? Alright, then, Cetra, I'll play your game for now…" The moogles roared and pounced on him.

---

"How odd…" Cid murmured to himself as Barret began sipping his new cup of tea. There was a bar fight in one of the corners of the tavern and Red XIII was still incapacitated on the floor in a pool of alcohol and broken glasses.

"_Who dat_?" he demanded sheepishly suddenly before his head fell back and started snoring again. Cid and Barret looked at him and then back at the television screen.

"I say, Cid, don't you think Cloud and the others are in danger?"

"Oh no, Tifa was just in here looking for him. I don't see the danger."

"Still, didn't you notice something peculiar about Tifa? She seemed incredibly out-of-character…"

"We do as well, and I don't see any bloody difference!"

"Aye! Cheers!" They tapped their glasses together, finished their tea in one gulp, and then laughed heartily. As they were ordering another round someone barged into the tavern in a flurry of drunken movements and incomprehensible cries. It turned out to be Yuffie, and she was holding a cleaver in one of her hands. "Yuffie, what, pray tell, are you doing?"

The ninja girl spun around and wedged the cleaver into the wooden bar. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing, _Barret_, just give me _ALL YOUR MATERIA_! _ALL YOUR MATERIA ARE BELONG TO ME_!" She released the cleaver and then, without even realizing what she was doing, she sliced Cid's left pinkie off with it. The pilot howled and clutched his diminished hand in his other. Blood spilt out from the wound and Yuffie laughed crazily. "_YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE, MAKE YOUR TIME_!" she screamed when Red XIII sprang up.

"_Who'd dun it_?" he slurred when his nuzzle got caught in Yuffie's short shorts. She whipped around with dazzling speed and slapped him across the face, all the while raving madly as foam formed around the corner of her mouth. She ripped Barret's gun-arm off and then leaped on Red XIII, proceeding to beat him senseless with it. He was sputtering blood when the bartender threw a blender and nailed her right in the back of the skull. Yuffie was out in seconds.

Cid was still holding his wounded hand when he and Barret stepped over her to inspect the situation. Barret had stuck a wooden peg in the place of his gun, and said, "This is quite a bit less violent."

Cid nudged at Yuffie with the toe of his boot then sat back down at the bar. "What a day… Well, you 'ol chap would you like another glass?"

"Certainly!" Barret answered as he took his place beside Cid and waved his wooden peg around.

---

The ruins of Midgar were strangely beautiful this early morning. The sun was rising over the horizon and Empress Aerith's floating castle was still just as intimidating as the evening before. There were a few hobos here and there, but Reno and Rude weren't particularly concerned about them. They were too busy scavenging through the trash.

"Hey, Rude, what did Tseng tell us to find? I forgot," Reno said as he rummaged around a pile of rubble. Rude was admiring an antique lamp behind him. "Rude!"

"Hmm?" His silent partner tucked the lamp in the crook of his arm and said, "…We're supposed to gather anything that may assist Mr. Shinra."

"And he couldn't have been any more specific, right?" The redhead faced Rude, who held up the lamp. "Eh, _screw_ the lamp, Rude," he said while hitting it out of his hand. It crashed into numerous pieces. Rude whimpered at this and wiped away at something under his eye with his finger. Reno sighed. "Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean it. We can find you another lamp."

The two Turks were about to move on to a different area when they were hailed from afar. "Reno, Rude, _woo-hoo_!"

They looked up and saw Cloud and Vincent standing on a mound of rock some ways off. The blond was waving at them very energetically; Vincent was shading his face with his claw in humiliation. Cloud pranced down to them and Vincent followed reluctantly.

"What… What are _you _doing here?" Reno questioned, and Cloud folded his arms across his chest in thought.

"Uh, well, we've been traveling through the forest all night, and look where we ended up: Midgar! Except it's really wasted because of Meteor…"

"Why were you traveling, anyway?" Reno asked him.

"We're being chased," Vincent responded for Cloud as he approached them. "Are you aware of Empress Aerith? She proclaimed herself ruler of the planet just yesterday."

"Oh yeah," the Turk said, gesturing at the black castle without much care. "Rufus isn't sure how to handle that exactly, but I'd rather just let you guys deal with it; you have a knack of saving the world and all that…"

"Rufus?" Cloud asked while breaking into a fit of giggles. "Didn't he die?"

Reno gasped and looked around. "…Just, just forget I said anything, 'kay?"

"'_Kay_!" Cloud exclaimed, but Vincent pushed him aside.

"Regardless of whether or not Rufus is alive, you should be making an effort to try and stop Aerith. We could use your help; the rest of our team is unavailable."

"Nah, that's alright. I'm not sure how she's alive but I don't really care. Did you find that lamp, Rude?" The bald man shook his head and went back to searching. "Well, you just keep on looking!" He looked back at Vincent. "Besides, why are you so intent on stopping her anyway?"

Vincent sighed. "She's sent assailants."

"Oh, I see…" Reno shrugged. "Eh, _what the hell_? You guys can come with us and I'll see what Tseng decide on."

Before another word could be said, though, the air chilled. The warmth of the sun was suddenly gone, and it was replaced by a horrible emptiness that filled each and every one of them. "Cloud! At last, I have found you!"

The group turned and saw Tifa, standing with her hands on her hips over the mound Cloud and Vincent had previously occupied. She smirked sadistically at them. Cloud let out a very high-pitched whine.

**To be continued…**

_A/N: (DISCLAIMER) I do not own 'Final Fantasy' or any related matter, nor do I make any profit off of this work. By the way, does anyone have a suggestion for a better title?_


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